Ask a group of clinicians, even those with advanced training in hypnosis, “What is hypnosis?” and you will get a variety of descriptions ranging from neurophysiological to socio-cognitive. In addition to how one conceptualizes hypnosis, the term itself is used to describe both a process, i.e., induction/elicitation, and an experiential state, i.e., trance.
In this presentation, the literature on influence, embodiment (embodied cognitions and emotions), mirror neurons, mimicry and gestures will be used to present ways of being hypnotic rather than doing hypnosis. How appreciating this body of literature and incorporating it into one’s clinical practice supports, among other things, what have been identified as the “6 core competencies” of Ericksonian therapy: Tailoring, Utilization, Destabilize, Strategic, Experiential and Naturalistic, will be emphasized.
Attendees will leave the program with ways to conceptualize the idea of hypnosis that will allow them to more easily and fluidly incorporate being hypnotic into their clinical work. They will have a greater appreciation for what it means to practice “hypnotically informed Psychotherapy.”